Jermaine Jones

The headlines from Round 9 have all been about Kei Kamara and Federico Higuain’s mid-game row. Their exchange of words over a penalty that would have secured Kamara his hat trick – but was eventually taken by Higuain – is a story that has travelled around the world. It marred an incredible eight-goal game, but in this week’s Fantasy Focus, we promise to focus on the football being played, not the spats off the ball!

Round 9 Review

The MAPFRE Stadium, home to Columbus Crew, undoubtedly provided us with the game of the weekend, where an incredible eight goals were scored in the 4-4 draw between the Crew and Montreal Impact. It had been a disappointing start to the season for Columbus, but two goals from both Kei Kamara ($11.1) and Federico Higuaín ($10.5) put Columbus 4-1 up with just over 30 minutes to play. Remarkably, the Impact came back from the dead to salvage a point thanks to Ignacio Piatti ($10.6), Didier Drogba ($11.8) and a last minute goal from Dominic Oduro ($7.6). We have once again entered the familiar territory of Piatti gaining the most points of any player this week – with an astounding 18! While Montreal may top the Eastern Conference, Colorado Rapids are the shock leaders of the Supporters’ Shield standings, following a 1-0 home victory against an equally impressive Real Salt Lake. Jermaine Jones ($8.2) netted the goal that was the difference between the two sides to earn his side three crucial points and further cement his place as one of the league’s top players even after his unceremonious exit from New England. Robbie Keane ($11.7) may have been sidelined with injuries for most of this campaign, but the Irishman netted a brace in the Galaxy’s fifth win of the campaign, picking up 13 points in his 59 minutes on the field. Furthermore, it couldn’t possibly be a good weekend without Seattle’s Jordan Morris ($8.3) getting a mention. The forward has now scored in four straight matches as Seattle won their fourth-straight home game against San Jose on Saturday.

The only red card of the weekend was collected by Orlando’s Cristian Higuita ($6.7), who was sent off late on in his side’s 1-1 draw with New York Red Bulls. OCSC are now on a run of five games without a win and with star turns Kaka ($10.8) and Cyle Larin ($9.2) in their side – it is fair to expect more from the men in purple. Meanwhile, Dallas failed to score and lost for the third consecutive outing. It has to be worrying the Texans with forward Maximiliano Urruti ($8.5) needing to regain the form that got him three goals in the opening four MLS games. Portland Timbers’ winless away run continued after defeat at Vancouver, while Sporting Kansas City also suffered a defeat away to Houston Dynamo. SKC are now winless in six after winning four of their opening five. Designated Players Benny Feilhaber ($10.9) and Graham Zusi ($10.1) will be expected to produce their finest form in the coming weeks, starting with this week’s DGW.

Round 10 Preview

The Rapids are in tremendous form and it was sparked by Jermaine Jones’ entrance to the team. Fresh from his contract dispute with the Revs and his six-match ban for making repeated physical contact with referee Mark Geiger, the fire is very much within Jones’ play. Thrust into a more attacking role, he’s playing as well as he ever has – even at the age of 34.

Andrew Wenger ($7.2):

Houston have finally returned to some sort of form with a win over SKC and Wenger was instrumental in achieving the victory. Fixtures against San Jose and Real Salt Lake aren’t easy – but they’re certainly not the most difficult cards to be dealt at this point in the season. I would be shocked if Wenger didn’t pick up 10 points across the two games this week. If you don’t fancy Wenger, teammate Alex ($6.1) is bound to pick up a solid number of points at a cheap price.

The pinpoint in the Timbers’ MLS Cup winning attack, Adi is in fine form and with Diego Valeri ($10.5) pulling the strings behind him, he looks set to keep firing in goal after goal. He may be whisked away for international duty with Nigeria in Round 12, but he will be back in a flash – unlike other forward options like Giles Barnes ($8.5) and Chris Wondolowski ($10.7), who will exiting the league for the Copa America Centenario.

Maynor Figueroa ($6.7):

This is a risky one. Dallas may’ve lost three on the trot, but the former Wigan defender has performed solidly throughout and is still garnering plenty of bonus points. If Dallas were to keep a clean sheet in either of their two home games this week against the Sounders or the Timbers, it would be a shame to miss out on almost certain double figures. It’s also hard to ignore that Dallas are the only side to play both their games at home this week and Figueroa represents a solid pick.

Match Preview

Colorado are in fine form as they sit top of the Western Conference and lead the way in the Supporters’ Shield standings by two points.

Pablo Mastroeni will be delighted with how his side have performed so far this season. They come into this tie off the back of their 1-0 home win against Real Salt Lake, which was their 5th consecutive home win of the 2016 campaign. They have scored eight goals in that run and only conceded two.

The Rapids will be full of confidence heading into the game. They are unbeaten in their last six games and have won the last three meetings between the sides, including their 2-1 win over SKC earlier in the season.

Sporting Kansas City are experiencing a difficult patch of form. They come into this tie off the back of their 2-0 away loss to Houston.

SKC won their first two away games of 2016 but are winless in four on the road since then, losing three and drawing one. They have scored five goals in those six away games.

Peter Vermes will be disappointed with how recent results have gone and his side now sit 6th in the Western Conference, which is disappointing considering they had won four of their first five games in the 2016 regular season.

Sporting Kansas City haven’t won any of their last six games, their longest winless run since 2011 where that tally extended to ten games, something the SKC fans will be fearing could happen again.

Team News

Colorado Rapids have three injury concerns ahead of this tie as Sean St Ledger, Eric Miller and Marco Pappa all look set to miss out.

Sporting Kansas City have just the two injury concerns. Kevin Ellis is out, while Soni Mustivar is a doubt. Neither of the sides have any players suspended or nearing suspension.

Key Points

Colorado Rapids’ form: W/W/W/D/W

Sporting Kansas City’s form: L/L/D/D/L

Key Stat: Colorado have won all five of their home games so far this season, which is the same amount they managed in all of their home games in the 2015 campaign.

Key Player: Jermaine Jones – The Rapids midfielder has been a great addition to their squad. He has netted three goals in his four appearances so far this season and is one of the league’s most complete midfielders.

Score Prediction

Colorado Rapids 2-0 Sporting Kansas City – The Rapids are in a fine run of form and face a SKC side who seem to be lacking confidence. Given how good Colorado have been at home this season it would be surprising to see anything other than three points once again at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for Mastroeni’s side.

The Colorado Rapids have made a huge statement of intent by announcing they have acquired the services of USMNT midfielder Jermaine Jones in a trade with New England Revolution.

The move puts an end to months of uncertainty regarding Jones’ future, after he failed to reach an agreement with New England with regard to staying for a third season.

Colorado have brought in the 34-year-old powerhouse in exchange for general allocation money and their first pick of the 2017 SuperDraft.

Jermaine Jones in action for New England Revolution against DC United in their Eastern Conference wildcard game during the 2015 MLS Playoffs (Photo: Matt Mathai)

Jones has not penned a Designated Player contract with Colorado, though, as targeted allocation money was used on his deal instead.

Keeping Jones in MLS is a boost for the league. The 58-time capped US international proved to be one of the league’s best midfielders over the last season-and-a-half in New England and Colorado fans will undoubtedly be excited by the move.

Jones joined the Revs in August 2014, via a blind draw and went on to make 33 total appearances for the club in the regular season and playoffs combined, scoring three goals with six assists. He was a major reason behind New England’s run to the 2014 MLS Cup Final and Colorado will hope his signing can propel them up the Western Conference.

The Revs will be looking to strengthen over the MLS offseason after being eliminated from this year’s playoffs in the wildcard round. Tiote is being lined up as an ideal acquisition, according to The Sun, and New England are expected to make a move in January.

The 29-year-old has been at Newcastle for five years since joining from Dutch side FC Twente in 2010, making 139 appearances for the Magpies in that time.

Tiote has only managed to score one goal in a Newcastle shirt – a memorable strike from distance in a 4-4 draw with Arsenal in 2011 – and is better known for his tough tackling in the middle of the pitch than his eye for goal.

The Ivory Coast international has picked up more than 60 bookings during his time in England and is a player who adds strength to any side he plays in.

The Revs currently have two Designated Player slots available to use and Tiote would surely require one if he were to sign a contract with MLS.

Jermaine Jones, the only current DP with New England, is looking likely to leave during the offseason unless the club opt to resign him when his contract expires in a month’s time.

Jermaine Jones in action for New England Revolution against DC United in their Eastern Conference Knockout game during the 2015 MLS Playoffs (Photo: Matt Mathai)

A midfield pairing of Tiote and Jones would certainly make the Revolution one of the most solid units in Major League Soccer. Though Tiote may be seen as a replacement for Jones should the American midfield star move on.

Tiote has made seven league appearances for Newcastle so far this term. He has more than 18 months left on his current contract with the club and would therefore require a transfer fee to sign him.

Should the New England Revolution make a move for Cheick Tiote this winter? Should Newcastle let him leave?

Match Preview

New England trail NYRB by two points heading into the game and they have played two more than the leaders. This is a tie they need to take all three points in if they are to have a chance of finishing at the top of the Eastern Conference.

The Revs come into the tie off the back of five straight wins, their latest was the 3-1 away victory over Toronto FC. They are unbeaten in their last seven, winning six, so confidence is high.

New England won the first meeting of the season between the sides at Gillette Stadium 2-1 and will be hoping they can repeat that result.

New York Red Bulls are also on a good run of form, they have won nine of their last 12 and lost just twice. They are leading the Eastern Conference on goal difference, but have played three games less than DC United so are in a strong position.

Red Bulls come into the tie off the back of their 3-2 home win against Chicago Fire, where they came from two goals behind to win.

They won the last meeting between the sides in July, 4-1, but will be aware this tie will be difficult to take all three points from, even more so considering their poor record away against the Revs.

They can give themselves an even stronger chance of finishing at the top of the pile if they can avoid defeat here.

Team News

New England are still without Darrius Barnes. London Woodberry and Jermaine Jones are both one caution away from a suspension.

New York Red Bulls are expected to be without Chris Duvall and Roy Miller. Connor Lade and Dax McCarty are both one booking away from suspension.

Key Points

New England Revolution’s last five in MLS: W/W/W/W/W

New York Red Bulls’ last five in MLS: W/W/L/W/W

Key Stat: New England Revolution are unbeaten in 22 of their last 23 ties against New York Red Bulls in all competitions.

Key Player: Bradley Wright-Phillips – The obvious choice. His recent form in front of goal has no doubt been a huge factor his sides form. He has five in his last five and has now netted 14 for the season. He will have to be at his best if NYRB are to take all three points.

Match Preview

The Revs are in a torrid run of form that needs to end quickly. No wins in their last five matches in MLS have given the rest of the conference a boost in climbing the table and has seen last year’s MLS Cup runners-up fall to sixth place, seeing the likes of Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC overtake them.

The 4-1 loss at Red Bull Arena last weekend condemned the Revs to the unwanted statistic of becoming the first side in MLS to lose five times on the bounce this season.

That aside, they are still in the playoff mix but only just. They need to end that horrible run of form and get the win on Saturday to give them confidence as they head to Chicago Fire next week, having only won twice on the road this term. A win this time round is a must.

Despite an agonisingly slow start for New York City FC, the MLS Expansion Franchise have now starting picking up points steadily and are in and out of the playoff places in the Eastern.

The signing of Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo and the eagerly awaited debut of Frank Lampard will bring confidence, leaders and a winning mentality to the club – something Jason Kreis will welcome with open arms.

They were very unfortunate in last week’s 4-4 draw at home to Toronto FC. They did well to come from 3-2 down at half time, with Jason Kreis rallying his troops to earn a point but their defending was woeful and they must improve at the back this week.

The reverse fixture saw New York City FC win 2-0 in their home opener at Yankee Stadium in March, with goals from David Villa and Patrick Mullins settling it, in what was NYCFC’s first ever victory in MLS.

Team News

New England look set to be without DP Jermaine Jones, Darrius Barnes and also Kevin Alston, though Jones could feature.

New York City FC will be without George John, Ryan Meara and Tony Taylor. Connor Brandt, Javier Calle, Khiry Shelton, Sebastian Velasquez and Jason Hernandez are all doubtful, while Mix Diskerud is away with the USMNT. Frank Lampard will have to wait another week for his debut as he is ruled out of this one.

Key Points

New England Revolution’s last five in MLS: L/L/L/L/L

New York City FC’s last five in MLS: W/W/L/W/D

Key Stat: Three of New York City’s last four wins have been away from home.

Key Player: David Villa – You can’t bet against the NYCFC captain. Villa has been in excellent form and excelling in his striking role. He scored two last weekend and is now on ten goals in MLS. He will only get more when Lampard and Pirlo feature but until then, expect him to continue delivering.

Score Prediction

New England Revolution 0-2 New York City FC – New England Revolution are in a real mess. Jermaine Jones’ absence is affecting them greatly. His signing this time last year galvanised the MLS Cup runners-up but they are really not in a good place right now. New York City look good going forward and look the likelier of the two to score. Away win.

Jermaine Jones‘ injury woes continue after his latest setback in The Revs weekend draw with LA Galaxy, where he picked up a left groin strain.

The 33-year-old powerhouse was substituted just after the half hour mark after pulling up and Jones revealed some worrying news surrounding the extent of the injury, reported by nesoccertoday.com.

“Trust me, it’s really bad. I worked to come back and felt good, and now I have more pain than before. Nobody’s happy with that. It’s not good.”

Jones had already missed New England Revolution‘s opening five games of the season as he recovered from his sports hernia surgery and now it seems he is set for some more time on the sideline with this injury. He compared the pain he is feeling from the groin strain to his sports hernia.

“I feel the same pain that I got before the surgery. This time, I feel it a little bit more than before I got the operation. I cannot move and put my leg up, so I feel that I’m not able to keep going.”

Jones will more than likely miss the US Men’s National Team‘s fixtures against the Netherlands, June 5 and Germany, June 10.

USMNT and New England Revolution fans will be nervously awaiting the results revealing the extent of Jones’ injury and will hope he will not be sidelined for another lengthy spell.

How much of a miss will Jermaine Jones be for the USMNT and Revs if he is sidelined?

Jones has played the majority of his career in Europe and featured in the Champions League quarter finals with German outfit, Schalke. The midfield powerhouse has played in Germany with three different clubs, including Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen.

United have had squad depth issues in midfield in the 2014/15 season with the likes of Michael Carrick out through injury and manager Louis Van Gaal rotating a number of players in a central role.

Liverpool, as we know, have just lost Steven Gerrard to MLS, and at times have lacked stability in the middle of the pitch. Jones is a no nonsense ball-playing midfielder who can break up play and move the ball on to attacking teammates in a tidy fashion. Brendan Rodgers is expected to strengthen his midfield and Jones possesses qualities to play in the holding role.

At 33, a move is purely hypothetical and Jones is playing an integral role, albeit out of position, at New England Revolution. But his experience makes him an ideal candidate for many Premier League clubs. He already has the experience of playing in the Premier League on-loan at Blackburn Rovers back in 2011. On his first appearance for the club he picked up a man of the match award and went on to start 15 games for the club, becoming a fan-favourite.

Jones has also featured in the World Cup and he is the type of calm player suited to playing at the top level. He opted to play for US Men’s National Team after featuring for the German Under-21 side on four occasions. The Revs midfielder missed out on the 2010 World Cup through injury, which was a loss for the US.

There is no suggestion that MLS and Premier League are comparable competitions, but Jones has already proved his worth while playing in Europe.

Is it time for Premier League clubs to start looking further afield than Europe for their signings?

With a quarter of the season already gone we’re beginning to see how the contenders are faring in MLS. Alongside early front-runners FC Dallas, Vancouver Whitecaps and DC United are last season’s MLS Cup runners-up New England Revolution. Having bounced back from an injury-ravaged start to the season, head coach Jay Heaps has been quietly building one of the best teams in the league.

New England were the surprise package of the 2014 MLS season. A promising start had been wiped out by a franchise record eight losses in a row but, despite being sixth in the Eastern Conference in late July, the Revolution stormed the league in the second half of the campaign eventually winning their way to the MLS Cup final.

They lost out to LA Galaxy on that occasion but current form suggests they might not be waiting too long to have another crack at the MLS Cup. Winning the trophy this year would represent only the second piece of silverware lifted in the club’s history, having been one of the founding members of MLS in 1996.

Their first trophy was the US Open Cup in 2007 during the team’s golden years when they finished MLS Cup runners-up three years on the bounce. Heaps was a mainstay in the Revolution’s defence during that time but, as he came to the end of his career, the foundations of the current side were beginning to be laid.

The 2009 MLS SuperDraft provided a number of future stars for the league with the likes of Omar Gonzalez, Graham Zusi and Matt Besler joining. New England picked up defensive duo Kevin Alston and Darrius Barnes, who both featured frequently alongside Heaps in his final year before retiring. Young goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth was signed on a free transfer while versatile midfielder/defender Chris Tierney had been brought in the season before.

In his first season, the Revolution finished bottom of the Eastern Conference just as they had done under Nicols the year before. In 2013 however, with a teenage Fagundez firing 13 goals, they finished 7th overall in MLS and reached the playoffs for the first time since Heaps’ last season as a player.

Another improvement last season, 5th overall as well as the playoff success, has seen New England emerge as one of the best sides in the league.

A squad that has been gradually built up over the course of several seasons, capped off by the signing of Designated Player Jermaine Jones last summer, has proven to be greater than the sum of it’s parts. The loss of Soares, McCarthy and 2014 MLS SuperDraft pick-up Patrick Mullins has done little to slow the progress of the Revolution, whose strength in depth has come to the fore after a rocky start.

Losses in the season openers away at Seattle Sounders and New York City, combined with a disappointing 0-0 draw with Montreal Impact, gave New England a poor start to the season, albeit without the talismanic Jones. Five wins in their next seven matches has emphatically answered any critics with Heaps’ well-balanced side and options off the bench proving a formidable challenge for any side in the league.

Jones has been paired up with youngster Farrell at the heart of a sturdy defence with the team conceding just four goals since the US international came back into the side, having missed the start of the campaign with injury. In front of them, a midfield engine consisting of any two from Caldwell, Andy Dorman and Jose Goncalves provides protection whilst allowing the array of attacking talents Revolution have to go forward with freedom.

Arguably the signing of the close season was the capture of Juan Agudelo after his failed European adventure and the US international striker has teamed up effectively with a rejuvenated Charlie Davies. That’s not to mention 2014 MLS MVP candidate Lee Nguyen, who has yet to hit his sensational heights this season, and the fast-improving Rowe, who has relished the chance to take on a more attacking role.

A steely defence combined with a productive attack makes New England one of the most formidable teams in the league. They are the joint third highest-scoring side with 14 goals, and boast seven different goalscorers. They already have ten different players with an assist to their name too. The ominous signs for the rest of MLS are that for Heaps’ well-built team the best is yet to come.

They do however remain one of only four sides to be unbeaten so far. But they are the only team of those four not to register a win as yet and need to start looking for victories.

New England have endured an indifferent start to this campaign and not many would have predicted that the Revs would have only won one of their first four coming into the campaign.

However, with the return of key men Jermaine Jones and Teal Bunbury nearing closer, it seems New England could be back to the side we saw make the MLS Cup final last season.

But they still have a lot to do and the loss of star centre back AJ Soares has been huge. With the Revs lacking strength at the back so far. They currently have the worst goal difference in MLS (-4) and need to find a solid level of performance if they are to remain a force.

All that being said, they are last season’s MLS Cup runners-up and should return to form very soon. They will see this as a winnable game and travel to Colorado to take on a Rapids side that hasn’t found the net in 510 minutes.

New England have not won in Colorado since 2002 though and the Rapids can take great confidence from the fact that the Revs have never won at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

Team News

Colorado will be without Drew Moor once again as he remains a long-term absentee. Martin Hairston is a doubt but should be available. Axel Sjoberg, Carlos Alvarez and Dillon Serna are all doubtful after missing the Houston game last weekend.

New England duo Jermaine Jones and Teal Bunbury are being monitored day-to-day but are still doubtful. Kevin Alston is also a doubt but is expected to be available. Juan Agudelo could once again play on the right wing if Charlie Davies is preferred up front.

Key Points

Colorado Rapids’ form: D/D/D

New England Revolution’s form: L/L/D/W

Key Stat: Colorado has failed to score in their last five matches in MLS.

Key Player: Lee Nguyen – The result of this tie depends on if the Revolution can continue to get Nguyen the ball. If they do he can cause havoc.

Score Prediction

Colorado Rapids 0-1 New England Revolution – Based on form this has 0-0 written all over it but the Revs could just edge it and will be looking for a first win in Colorado for 13 years.